Janice Tjen has achieved remarkable success as the top women’s player in Indonesia, boasting a WTA singles title and three doubles championships. At just 23 years old, she climbed to No. 53 in the WTA singles rankings last November, with her coaches anticipating even greater achievements. Tjen showcased her improvement by upsetting Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Despite Fernandez being the 22nd seed, she was defeated 6-2, 7-6 (1) in a match lasting one hour and 43 minutes.
During the match, Tjen recorded four aces, 17 winners, six double faults, and 27 unforced errors, while Fernandez managed two aces, 16 winners, five double faults, and 28 unforced errors. The game statistics showed Fernandez winning two of eight break points and two of 10 return games, whereas Tjen capitalized on four of seven break points and won four of 10 return games. Tjen’s next challenge will be against Karolina Pliskova from Czechia.
In the women’s doubles opening round, Toronto’s Victoria Mboko, the sole Canadian woman to win her first-round singles match, partnered with American Iva Jovic to defeat Ulrikke Eikeri from Norway and Ingrid Neel from Estonia in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, in one hour and 31 minutes. Mboko and Jovic displayed a solid performance with three aces, two double faults, and a 70% win rate on first serves. They excelled in return games, securing four out of 10 games compared to their opponents’ two out of 11.
Jannik Sinner had a swift start to his Australian Open campaign, advancing quickly in his match against Hugo Gaston, who retired due to an undisclosed injury when Sinner was leading 6-2, 6-1. Sinner expressed disappointment at the abrupt end to the match, reflecting on his aim to secure a third consecutive men’s title at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka made a dramatic entrance wearing unique attire, inspired by a jellyfish, for her match against Antonia Ruzic, which she won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Madison Keys, the defending champion, faced a tough challenge against Oleksandra Oliynykova but managed to advance after a shaky start.
In other matches, Ben Shelton triumphed over Ugo Humbert in a hard-fought encounter, while Lorenzo Musetti and Eliot Spizzirri were among the players who secured victories to progress in the tournament.